Hindered Amour
by FrameofReality
Summary: Now in High Skool, Gaz and Zim have an encounter...could this lead to more than them being acquaintances? Rated M for later violence, language, and suggestive themes. Contains: ZAGR, DATR, GAMR, RAPR.
1. Chapter 1

Gaz walked quietly through the hall, messenger bag slung over her shoulder as she slowly made her way to lunch, her Game Slave 2 in her hands as she tried to make it to the next level, which, thanks to her idiotic older brother, Dib, she had never gotten to. The hallway was empty, as she had been the last one to leave class, the teacher having held her back, and as she neared the cafeteria, she pocketed her GS2 and entered, noticing the lunch line was still unbelievably long. She rolled her eyes, flicked back a stray lock of her violet medium-length hair and walked to the front of the line.

No one questioned her, especially since it was pizza day. Even though it wasn't Bloaty's Pizza, Gaz never let anyone stand in her way when it came to pizza. Not even the annoying green alien, Zim, who was about to grab the largest slice. With almost lightning-fast speed, she cut off his outreaching hand and claimed the prize for herself before grabbing a tray and placing it there.

"You DARE to take Zim's disgusting earth food?" He challenged her immediately, hands on his hips, looking much like an angry child who hadn't gotten his way.

Though the alien had been here for years now, he was still no closer to conquering the world and, "ruling all you filthy humans", as he often said. Now they were in High Skool, Gaz now 17, and she severely doubted he would get any closer to his goals. Especially seeing as he acted like a total spaz, often freaking out for no reason at all, or at least, no reason she could see. Dib had transferred last year and moved away so he could attend a special university for his paranormal interests, which happened to be quite far away. His enemy, Zim, meanwhile, who was supposed to be part of an advanced alien armada, was stuck here with Gaz and the rest of the pathetic skool.

Of course, her father was way too busy with his projects around the world to stop by and say hello, so Zim was really the only other person she knew...if he even counted as a person. But she hadn't spoken to him since Dib moved away, taking his embarrassing insanity with him. Without Dib to drag her into ridiculous plans to expose the alien, she hadn't even noticed his presence that much. At least when he wasn't freaking out about something.

"Back off," Gaz muttered a dark warning to him.

"Gaz-human will give the foul pizza to Zim or face Zim's wrath!" He yelled at her, clenching his teeth and balling his gloved hands into fists.

Gaz rolled her eyes and turned her back to him, only to find him already in front of her. He reached out quickly and grabbed the pizza, intending to take it from her, but Gaz caught the other end and a tug-of-war ensued.

"Give it back, Zim, and I **might** let you live!" Gaz snarled.

"Scary Dib-sister try to intimidate ME? Ha! The pizza is MINE."

As if in slow motion, the grease from the pizza allowed it to slip out of their hands and, as they watched, Gaz in anger, Zim in horror, it landed on the floor, instantly surrounded by cockroaches. By this time, there was no pizza left, and Zim looked at Gaz sheepishly. Eyes shut tight in annoyance, she took a step toward him.

"I suggest you run. Now." Zim took a step back, then turned and ran screaming out of the cafeteria. Gaz followed hotly on his heels.

"Uh, Zim is sorry for making scary Gaz-human mad!" He gasped out, turning to look back at her as he ran, flashing her a charming smile, hoping for forgiveness, or at least only one broken leg, before tripping over a can and landing hard on his back. Gaz immediately climbed on top of him, throwing her bag to the side, straddling his hips as she pulled back her fist to punch him in the face.

"Zim is sorry!" He pleaded, eyes wide.

Gaz narrowed her eyes even further than they were already. She didn't know why he occasionally referred to himself in the third person. Maybe it was a dumb male pride thing. Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Almost at the same time, the hall filled up with students who circled them, itching for Gaz to punch someone's lights out. Unfortunately for Zim, that someone happened to be him. Someone in the crowd started saying, "Fight, fight, fight!" and soon others followed.

Somewhat entranced by the chanting, Gaz focused her attention on the still alien beneath her, wanting to see his fear and pain as she made him regret the pizza incident. Instead of struggling, he just lay there, waiting for the inevitable. His miserable excuse for a disguise made her wonder just how stupid everyone else was to **not** see he wasn't human. Though it had been awhile since she had last seen him without his disguise, she still remembered how hypnotizing his foreign eyes were, the intensity of his - somehow - intelligent gaze.

Her mind wandered, as did her eyes, as she suddenly noticed how tall he had gotten, a few inches or so taller than her, and certainly almost as tall as his leaders. She saw how toned his body was, noticed the strength of his grip on the backs of her legs as she held him down. He might be harder to beat up, now. Gaz thought absently, tracing his handsome facial features with her eyes. _He really is quite attractive…_ She thought, wondering why she hadn't noticed before.

Suddenly, she found herself on the ground, Zim now on top of her, straddling her hips much like she had done to him. He had noticed she was distracted and had taken that opportunity to gain the upper hand. He leaned toward her, pinning her arms to the ground, his hands on her wrists.

"Who's laughing now, little Gaz?" Zim smirked down at her triumphantly, his face inches from her own. Gaz blushed furiously in embarrassment and struggled futilely beneath him.

"Get the hell off me!" she growled, turning her head from side to side, trying not to look at him. For some reason he was making her feel weird.

"Oh, Gaz has a boyfriend!" someone in the crowd shouted, making the others laugh and Gaz blushed again, the heat in her cheeks extremely noticeable. Zim threw a perplexed look at the crowd before staring at her for a few seconds.

"What are you looking at?" Gaz managed to spit out.

"Your face…it's so red. Are you ill?" Zim's brow furrowed in concern - why, he didn't exactly know - and confusion.

"W-why do you care? Of course I'm sick, I have an alien sitting on me, that would make anyone sick!" she snapped, just low enough for him to hear.

Without another word, Zim let go of her wrists and climbed off her. The bell rang again, signaling the next period. The assembled students quickly dispersed, not wanting to be caught out of class and put in detention with Ms. Bitters. Alone in the hallway, Zim offered his hand to help her up. She slapped it away.

"I don't need your help," she said venomously as she stood up and dusted herself off. Zim shrugged and walked off, whistling to himself.

Gaz glared after him until he disappeared around a corner before turning, grabbing her previously discarded bag and running down the hallway. Having done this many times, she stayed in the security camera's blind spot. Making sure no one was looking, she made her way out the back door and ran home, unlocking the front door with her house key, entering, and locking it behind her.

Breathing hard, she threw her bag on the floor, removing her black and purple striped hoodie, leaving her with her black undershirt. She lay down on the couch, closing her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on.

Gradually her mind wandered back to Zim and the humiliating experience. Zim, so close, his breath on her neck. She shook her head violently. Sure, she'd always sort of liked the alien, but this had to be ridiculous. He wasn't even human, not to mention she'd never had any experience in anything like this before. She severely doubted Zim had, either. She'd always thought relationships like that were stupid, so she'd never dated.

It wasn't that she couldn't get a boyfriend. Hell, with her mysterious personality, large chest, long legs, intense amber eyes, and her striking medium-length hair, she'd been whistled at walking past the boys' locker room to art class more times than she could count...until she silenced the offenders with a withering glare.

So what was she doing thinking about Zim? She blinked and shrugged it off as embarrassment at her failure to rough him up and the shock at his newly noticed appearance, then silently went upstairs, removed her thick black eyeliner and mascara and took a long shower to settle her nerves.


	2. Chapter 2

Zim paced back and forth, waiting for his computer to load. He thought about the incident with Gaz, trying to figure it out. When the computer finally loaded he set it to work. He uploaded the memory from his PAK.

"Computer, scan memory and run a background check on human illnesses." He ordered. Perhaps if what Gaz had was detrimental, he could take it from her and use it to create a deadly strand of virus to destroy the humans and finally conquer the Earth.

"Search complete. No data found." Zim frowned. No data?

"Perhaps it's not an illness? Analyze memory again." He tapped his foot impatiently as the computer did as it was told.

"Analysis complete." It informed, pulling up a page of data. Zim read it carefully.

"Hm…blah, blah…not important…Zim doesn't care about that…" He blinked. "What's this? Human…emotion…identified as…attraction?" He stared at the screen, dumbfounded. Gaz? **Attracted**? To **him**? Certainly the computer had made an error.

"Analyze again!" He snapped, clenching his teeth. The same results appeared. "No, that can't be right… Again!"

After several more tries, Zim crossed his arms over his chest, thinking. Unless his malfunctioning SIR Unit, GIR, had somehow screwed up the computer, it seemed that Gaz was attracted to him. After some thought, he grinned wickedly.

"This could be an excellent opportunity to document human emotions, especially seeing how the hideous Tak was Irken, making my observations of her useless," he mused to himself. "Yes, I will observe the Gaz-beast to learn how to best manipulate the FILTHY humans' emotions. I AM ZIM!" He fist pumped the air, congratulating his own genius. "I'll inform the Tallest of my AMAZING plan." He immediately placed the call.

"What is it now, Zim?" The red one asked impatiently when he appeared on screen, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah, we were eating donuts!" The purple one shouted before proceeding to stuff his face.

"My Tallest, I have called to inform you of my INGENIOUS plan." He responded, smiling proudly.

"That's great, Zim," Red rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure this plan won't fail as miserably as the other ones." Purple laughed. He then continued munching on his donut before both leaders erupted into a huge fit of laughter, leaning against each other for support while shoving donuts into their mouths.

"I'm glad to see you're so EXCITED about it," He enthused, chuckling, oblivious to their obvious and constant ridicule. "I have decided to observe human emotions-"

"Wait, didn't you already try that?" Red interrupted.

"He did, but Tak's Irken," Purple responded, and the two shared a mocking grin.

"I was unaware of that at the time. Now! I plan on observing a real human female."

"And you're sure she's human this time?" Red squinted at him, eating another pastry.

"Well, she is the Dib-stink's sister,"

"Is that the scary purple one?"

"Actually, I think her hair's more violet, but yes."

"Oh! Someone's brave," Purple winked at him.

"Try not to die," The two giggled hysterically.

"Yes, that would be a shame!" Red offered Purple a donut before snatching it away as he reached for it, leaving him sprawled on the floor. They continued giggling, Red pointing and laughing at him while Purple slowly got up.

"Oh. Right." Red cleared his throat, remembering they were still on video call with Zim. "What do you plan on doing, anyway?"

"Well, I-"

"Oh! Oh! Maybe a picnic!" Purple suggested, nodding at his own wisdom.

"Or even better, take her on a walk at night. Females love that. I know I do." Red sighed before grabbing another donut.

"But you're both male," Zim stated, realizing his mistake too late.

"I thought you didn't have a problem with that?" Red challenged, leaning forward menacingly.

"Oh, no, of course not My Tallest! It was simply a lapse in thought." Zim apologized, waving his hands.

"You seem to have a lot of those," Purple huffed, crossing his arms. Though they were an advanced alien race, same-sex couples were certainly not completely accepted. However, as they were the Tallest, no one spoke against their union.

"Well, whatever you do, don't break her…"

"Heart?" Purple offered. "I think that's what it's called."

"Yeah, that." Red nodded.

"You **care** about a human?" Zim asked incredulously, one eyebrow lifted.

"Of course not. I just…" He exchanged a quick, almost unnoticeable glance with Purple. Zim was none the wiser. "Forget it."

"Okay… I'll report in later, My Tallest."

"Whatever, Zim, take as long as you like. In fact, that's an order." Purple waved him off and ended the call as the two went on eating their donuts.

"Now, time for my AMAZING plan!" Zim started laughing maniacally before being cut off by GIR.

"Mastah, I made waffles!" The robot, disguised as a green dog, happily screeched.

"Not now, GIR, and besides, last time your waffles of DEATH made me sick."

"WAAAAAAAAAA!" GIR screamed, running around him annoyingly, hitting him with a waffle. After a few minutes, Zim's eye twitched.

"ENOUGH! I shall eat some!" He shouted angrily.

"YAY!" GIR shoved a waffle into his mouth, then munched on one himself, coughing bubbles from the soap in it. Swallowing, Zim took another.

"Just so you know, I'm only eating these so you'll stop your damn screaming," He informed, closing his eyes as he tried to swallow. Usually, if GIR didn't put anything disgusting in them, his waffles were very good. But he had used soap again this time. "How many times have I told you soap is not food?"

"HEHEHEHE… I don't know." GIR shrugged, flailing his arms.

"After this, I will start my plan. I AM ZIM!" He grabbed a fork, which GIR took out of his head and shoveled a few down before asking for the bucket.


	3. Chapter 3

Gaz turned off the water and wrapped a towel around herself, letting her wet hair hang in her face before grabbing another towel and drying it out. She walked to her bedroom, the black satin curtains shutting out the sunlight from outside. Gaz quickly dried off and dressed, choosing an undershirt and shorts to relax in, both black. She put her iPod in its dock and turned the volume up before selecting a song. She left her door open as she went downstairs so she could hear the music throughout the house.

She grabbed a can of soda from the fridge, setting it on the table before grabbing the pizza box, her leftovers from Bloaty's Pizza last night. As she heated the pizza up in the microwave, she again remembered the fight with Zim, which she couldn't seem to get out of her head, which had led to the embarrassment in the hallway. Refusing to think of him, she punched the open button and sat down at the table with her food, opening the pop can.

"What a waste of pizza," she grumbled moodily, taking a bite of said food. "Zim doesn't even eat human food!" Or, at least he didn't when Dib was here. Maybe he had built up a tolerance for it or something in the sort of vacation time he had without Dib chasing him around, wanting to expose him at any cost.

Finished, she tossed her can across the room, and it landed directly in the trash bin. She washed her plate and placed it in the cupboard before going back into the living room, glancing at her messenger bag laying on the carpet. She contemplated doing her homework. A knock at the door interrupted her inner debate and, forgetting how scantily-clad she was in her annoyance at having to deal with someone, she unlocked and threw open the door, readying a sarcastic remark. But she forgot all about making a fool of the person when she saw who it was. Zim stood there, fist in the air as he began to knock again.

"Greetings, Gaz-human." He said, offering a timid smile. Gaz felt her face flush.

"What do you want?" She hissed, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest and trying to play it cool even as her heart sped up.

"Zim was wondering if he could use the Dib-stink's lab." He said it more like he was informing her of his intent to use it, not asking to use it.

"Why? Don't you have your own lab?" She vaguely remembered the time she and Dib had seen it when they all had - reluctantly - fought Tak together.

"Yes, but GIR decided to fill the entire base with waffles. So many waffles…" He recalled GIR shoving towering plates into any and every empty space he could find, including the launch chute, which threw a bunch into the yard. He clenched his fists in horror.

"Why don't you just eat the damn waffles? They can't be that bad, can they?" She asked, tilting her head a bit so she could see the glow of his real eyes from behind his contacts.

"Normally GIR makes delicious waffles, but sometimes he forgets what is and isn't food and adds the most horrible things you could ever imagine. ESPECIALLY SOAP."

"Soap waffles? Eh. I've had worse."

"Anyway, Zim REFUSES to eat all those waffles, and he can't make GIR because he ran off somewhere. Therefore, he needs to build a waffle vaporizer."

"Uh-huh. Why don't you just give-"

"Silence! Destruction will come to those devil waffles! Destruction is nice!"

"...Right. The lab's downstairs." Gaz motioned for him to follow as she walked over and descended. She felt his breath on her neck as he followed behind, and chills went up her spine. As silently as she could, she tried to regulate her galloping heartbeat by breathing in her nose and out her mouth. She felt her pulse return to somewhat normal as she reached up and grabbed the key from on top of the door, unlocking it. A retinal scanner popped out from the middle of the door and Gaz proceeded to type in her name on the keyboard before scanning her eye. Beeping, the door swung inward.

"There," she said nonchalantly, bracing herself to run past him up the stairs. She audibly gasped in surprise, amber eyes wide, as she met his calculating gaze. He was much closer than she had thought, his face close to hers. He smiled and inched closer, so that his eyes were all she could see.

"Thank you, little Gaz..." He hovered for a moment longer, making Gaz think he would try to kiss her, before breaking eye contact and entering the lab, closing the door behind him.

She let out a sigh of relief and put the key back in its original place, heading upstairs. She grabbed her bag and trudged up to her room, throwing it on her curtained four poster bed. She grabbed her iPod out of its dock, plugging in her skull headphones. She sat on the black and purple striped sheets and started on her homework, occasionally humming along or tapping her foot to the beat, attempting to forget the alien.


	4. Chapter 4

After about an hour she finished her homework and shoved it back into her bag, pausing the current song and taking off her headphones. She stretched and glanced at her mirror, which was directly opposite her door, and jumped. Zim was leaning against the doorframe, staring at her in silence. His arms were crossed over his chest, his head tilted slightly to one side.

"You sing quite well," he remarked offhandedly. Gaz realized she had been singing softly to "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. She shook her head, her face flushing a deep red. "What do you mean in the song? Are you afraid?"

"Afraid? Of wha - they're just lyrics," She huffed, closing her eyes in embarrassment. "They don't mean anything," He studied her for a moment. "So are you done or what?" She snapped, angry that he had snuck up on her as well as trying to hide how flustered she was.

When he didn't reply and just continued gazing at her, she grabbed her biology textbook and pushed past him, going downstairs before sitting on the couch. Gaz suspected he'd let himself out, so she opened her book and was surprised when Zim sat down next to her.

"Yes, the waffle vaporizer is done." He replied, making himself right at home...much to her increasing annoyance.

"Well, you're all done, then, right? So leave," She started reading. He inched closer.

"What are you reading?" He asked curiously.

"I'm studying,"

"Perhaps I can be of some assistance?"

"No." The book was taken out of her hands and set down on the floor.

"You're all red again. Are you feeling well?"

"W-what? I'm fine!" She avoided eye contact, letting her violet hair hang in her face as she looked down, trying to focus on anything but him. He gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him.

"Are you positive…?" He tucked a stray strand of hair back from her face and behind her ear, eyes intense even through the contacts.

"I said I'm fine! Now leave me alone!" Gaz tried to break away from him, but his grasp was surprisingly firm. He stared at her for a minute, analyzing her like some piece of machinery. She almost shivered under his hard gaze. He let his hand drop, releasing her.

"Have you ever felt this way before?" He asked suddenly, and she couldn't tear her eyes away from his.

"W-what do you mean?" She asked bitterly. He smirked.

"I never thought you, of all people, would let one person hinder you so much."

"What are you talking about? I'm not letting anyone, least of all **you**, hold me back from anything!" She retorted, not entirely understanding what he meant.

"Really? Are you certain?" His eyes were half-hid by his eyelids, which gave him a menacing yet attractive look.

"Yes, so shut up about it!" Zim smiled charmingly before quickly snaking an arm around her thin waist.

"Little Gaz, I'm afraid I don't believe you," he murmured, his voice smoky, before pulling her close and kissing her. She was startled so much she just sat there for a moment, letting him press her close to him.

He made a small grunt of impatience at her non-responsive, unyielding lips before being shocked himself as she kissed him back fiercely. Though inexperienced in things such as this, she desperately wanted to prove her worth. Of course, she'd never admit it, it was something only her unconscious would know. It seemed as if she were doing this instinctively, her mind feeling somewhat detached from her body as she watched herself let Zim grab a fistful of her hair, deepening the kiss.

He suddenly broke off, something a bit harder to do than he had originally thought. As much as it confused him, the presence of her, the feel of her lips, of her body against his, was rather intoxicating. Gaz moved away from him, rage in her gorgeous amber eyes as he flashed her a wicked grin.

"What the **hell**, Zim?" She tried to punch him in the face, but it seemed he had anticipated this, for he caught her fist in his hand.

"You certainly seemed to enjoy it, and it seems you were unusually prepared for it, Gaz-human." He observed.

"Shut the hell up! I was not! And is it really that hard to just call me 'Gaz'? That **is** my name, you know, not 'Gaz-human'!" She spat venomously.

"Okay! Zim will stop calling you Gaz-human, Gaz." He put up his hands in mock surrender. Gaz blushed. For some reason, the sound of him saying her name, how it rolled off his tongue, caused her heart to flutter. Growling in rage, she jumped up from the couch and ran into the kitchen.

"What is Gaz doing?" Zim called after her uncertainly. She ignored him, even though her heart skipped a beat again when he said her name. She threw open the fridge, grabbing a can of soda and shaking it mercilessly. Zim appeared in the doorway with his invention and Gaz narrowed her eyes even further. She pointed the can at him, readying to pop the tab and spray him with the now-fizzy soda. His eyes grew wide and he backed away as she advanced.

"Get. Out. Of. My. House." She growled at him, eyes flashing with fury. Zim turned and ran, throwing open the front door before continuing to run away, shrieking. Gaz popped the tab and sprayed him, causing his skin to burn. He screamed and ran off before falling and rolling on the ground.

She laughed at him, but, for the first time in her life, felt a strange pang of what could only be identified as guilt at having caused him pain. She shrugged it off and watched him suffer for a few minutes before walking back into her house, locking the door behind her.


	5. Chapter 5

Zim paced back and forth, Gir watching him with a vacant grin on his face. "This is more serious than I thought," he mumbled, his brow furrowed in thought. He had lived on Earth long enough to understand at least some aspects of human courtship. Now, not only was Gaz showing signs of her attraction to him, however unknowingly or unwillingly, she had also shown a prominent Irken custom. Even though cloning was used now and the Tallest were the only Irkens allowed to have mates, Zim knew enough that by bringing pain to her love interest, she had unknowingly stated that she was ready for courtship. Zim's mind wandered off, to thoughts of "dating" (as the humans referred to it) Gaz, taking her as his mate. Frustrated and not knowing what else to do, he told Gir of his predicament.

"Please tell me you have some sort of advice in your information archives, Gir," he sighed. Gir immediately switched to his serious mode, saluting.

"Sir, Article 2510-98-XY of the Invader's Manual states that, start quote, 'Use any emotion the native species may have to your advantage. If an individual or individuals show interest in you, for whatever reason, you are to use them to gain information useful to your mission. Edit #712, Almighty Tallests Red and Purple: Don't forget to ask them about the planet's best snacks. Failure to do so will result in permanent banishment to Dirt.' End quote." The robot's eyes switched to blue. "I LIKE FLAMINGOS!"

Zim thought silently for a moment while Gir strutted around like a bird, pecking at the ground. Sure, he could use her against her own race, but he doubted that would work. Especially since she had already tried to destroy the Earth a few years ago by messing with one of her father's experiments. Not to mention she showed a severe lack of interest in saving the world when Tak had threatened it. No, that wouldn't work.

Besides, what he wouldn't admit, not even to himself, was that he had already fallen for the dark, moody girl way before she'd showed interest in him. He remembered when he first arrived, how distant and uncaring she was, even to her own family. He had found a sort of comfort in that, in her, as she reminded him of the females on his own planet. He had admired, yes, actually admired, her independence, the way she wouldn't let anyone tell her what to do.

But he also understood, even with as little knowledge he knew about her species, that she was putting up a front, albeit a very convincing one, to hide her true self. A deep pain. What that pain was, he didn't know, and most likely never would, but that just added to her unchallenged beauty, to her mysterious, compelling aura. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of her. Surely this was ridiculous. No Irkens, other than the Tallest, of course, were allowed to...feel this way.

Even though they were Tallest, Red and Purple kept their relationship on a strict need-to-know basis, and only their crew and some of the more trustworthy invaders knew about it or even suspected it. Since relationships were shunned, even punishable by death, a same-sex pairing would be even less tolerated. Because they were Tallest, they wouldn't be killed, but they were sure to be persecuted. Therefore, no one who knew was ever to speak of it, lest they be hurled into the sun or left to some other horrible demise.

If even the Tallest were so limited and even shunned to show emotion and take a mate, especially one of the same gender, how could he even hope to have a relationship with Gaz? She wasn't Irken, and that alone was a death sentence. Sighing and rubbing his weary eyes, he suddenly had an idea. _Certainly My Tallest will know what to do. After all, their situation is similar to mine._ He thought and placed the call.

After a minute or so, they appeared on screen, Purple munching on popcorn, Red drinking his soda. Apparently the communications director had just patched the call through without informing them, because they didn't once look at the screen as they continued their conversation. The poor fool might not have been punished as harshly if they had been on the bridge. Unfortunately for him, night had fallen and the Tallest had retired to their shared quarters. Obviously he was not in the loop. Unsure whether to announce his presence and condemn the idiot to death, he merely watched awkwardly, waiting for an opening in their discussion.

"I'm telling you, Red, Earth has this amazing dance!" Purple sounded excited. Then again, he was the happier of the two.

"And I'm telling you, there's no way anything thing that short could come up with something amazing," Red retorted, sipping his drink, eyes half-closed in boredom.

"They may be incredibly short, but the dance is still awesome!" Purple put down his popcorn and stood up from his armchair, floating over to the other. "Come on, I'll show you!" Red threw his empty soda aside absently and crossed his arms over his chest, refusing to move.

"No."

"But Red!" Purple whined, leaning closer and pleading with his eyes. After a second, the red-eyed Irken looked up at the other and sighed.

"Ugh, fine-"

"Yay!" Purple shouted, throwing up his arms in excitement before being interrupted.

"BUT-" Red jumped up from the couch and backed him into the wall, putting his arms on either side of his confused co-ruler so he couldn't escape. "You owe me something in return..." He growled, leaning closer so their faces were only a few inches apart, making Purple blush. Not wanting to invade their privacy or be mentally scarred for the rest of his life, Zim quickly made himself known.

"Uh...My Tallest...?" Red jumped back immediately and Purple followed, floating over to his side, eyes furious for being interrupted while Red seemed flustered. After he saw who was on call, he leaned against his mate and hooked his arm through the other's.

"What in the **hell** do you want, Zim?" Purple hissed, baring his teeth. "Can't you see we're busy?" Red tilted his head, concern on his face for the other's patience with the likely soon-to-be-dead defect.

"I, uh, just wanted to-"

"You have the absolute WORST timing! Where's the communications director? How dare he put a call through to our private quarters without asking us. Shoot him into the nearest sun!" The purple-eyed Irken ranted before turning his attention back to the smaller alien. "And you!" He snapped, unhooking his arm and floating over to the screen menacingly. Red followed, eyes narrowed.

"How many times have we told you-" Purple started.

"NEVER call us during night hours." Red finished before they both pointed a claw at him accusingly. Zim's eyes widened and he back-pedaled a good distance from the screen, even though the threat the two posed was light years away. Sure, he had accidentally forgotten to check the Armada's time and had called them before, but he had never interrupted them in the past, despite their warnings.

"My sincerest apologies, My Tallest! I merely wanted you, with your all-knowing wisdom, to offer Zim advice?"

"Might as well, you've killed the mood," Red frowned, Purple angrily picking up his popcorn and stuffing some into his mouth so that he looked like a pissed off green squirrel missing its tail.

"Right, um...well..."

"Is this about the human?" Zim blushed and nodded, throat dry. Red scrutinized him for a moment.

"You're in love with her." It wasn't a question. Zim nodded hesitantly.

"Does she feel the same way about you?" Red asked, a bit sadistically, already knowing his answer.

"I'm...not sure," Zim sighed, antennae drooping. Both leaders started to laugh, but they were cut off with his protest. "But she has shown courtship customs, both human and Irken!"

"It's probably not what you think. I highly doubt she knows of our customs, so it's probably coincidence. And I'm sure you know even less of hers." Red rubbed an eye in agitation.

"But she acts different around me!" He objected rather childishly.

"You've informed us yourself that she acts odd anyway."

"Yeah, how do you know she's not just being weird? Huh? Huh?" Purple squinted at the screen, still quite annoyed at Zim.

"I...I don't..."

"Listen, Zim," Red yawned, not even trying to hide his indifference. "Forget about her, just go on with your...mission," he said the last part like a punch line in a joke, and both snickered.

"But My Tall-"

"Bye, Zim!" Purple finally lost his patience and angrily jabbed the end call button, and Zim disappeared off screen. Red went to the couch, still yawning.

"We really should have sent him to a planet with giant killer bees or something. Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" Red turned to Purple, only to be tackled to the sofa.

"I believe we were about..." Purple rested his forehead against the other's, "...here," He grinned at his shocked co-ruler who lay pinned beneath him. Purple caught his lips in a kiss, Red sighing against him. After a few seconds, he broke it, leaving Red both angry and confused.

"There, now come dance with me," He pulled him off the couch and turned on a song. "It's called Caramelldansen!" Red facepalmed and grabbed his arm.

"Oh, no," He whispered in his ear, "If I have to dance to this ridiculous song, you owe me much more than a five second kiss..."

Zim stared at the screen for a few minutes, thinking idly to himself while Gir played with his rubber pig. Turning around, he closed his eyes in concentration.

"No...no, I don't know..." He opened his eyes and smiled deviously. "Not yet, anyway."


	6. Chapter 6

The next day, Gaz decided to skip school, not wanting to see Zim and just not caring enough about her studies at the moment to go. Though, contrary to popular belief, she was a decent student with good grades. She slept until noon before reluctantly getting up and doing her daily routine.

She ate cereal before making a cup of coffee, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. After trying to relax by playing her Game Slave, watching TV, and eating pizza, Gaz got out her laptop and checked her email.

Before looking at her mail, Gaz glanced at the clock and was shocked to see that school was about out. She had truly been in the zone. She had two unread emails, and opened the first one. It was from Dib.

_Gaz,_

_How are you? How's skool going? I'm doing all right, I'm just a little homesick. I think I actually miss you threatening me every day. Crazy, huh? Has Zim had any evil plans to take over the Earth since I left? Then again, you probably ignore him. Anyway, see you soon, Sis._

_Dib_

Gaz sighed before replying.

_Dib,_

_I think we both know I'm as miserable as usual. Skool's fine, I guess. Just boring as hell. How are you homesick of this dump? It's the seventh level of hell. Then again, if you miss me tormenting you, maybe that place is worse, if that's even possible. And yes. Yes, it is. So are you._

Pausing as she thought of Zim, she drummed her nails on her thigh, her face burning.

_Zim's being an idiot as usual_, she typed, which was mostly true. She decided to keep it on a need-to-know basis, and Dib certainly did **not** need to know. Reading the last line of the email, she tilted her head in confusion. _Anyway, I'll see you soon._

_Idiot_, she started, _don't you mean TALK to me soon?_ As she was about to send it, the doorbell rang. She looked quickly to her clock. No, skool still had about twenty minutes left until it let out. Unless Zim skipped, which was unlikely, then it wasn't him. She thought about letting the Holo-Dad get the door, then remembered it was charging, repairing itself from the last time she sprayed soda on it a few days ago. Setting down her laptop, she went down and opened the door slowly.

"Gaz!" She was almost tackled to the ground in a quick hug before her attacker backed off, a stupid grin lighting his face, his huge head the epitome of cheeriness.

"Dib!" If she hadn't been so surprised to see him, she would have disemboweled him for hugging her. "**What** are you doing here?"

"It's a long story. How about we talk inside? It's a little chilly out here," he picked up his luggage, causing her to squint in suspicion. Inside, he put down his bags and plopped down on the couch, sighing, adjusting his glasses before grabbing the remote and turning on the TV.

"So?" Gaz crossed her arms over her chest and stepped between him and the TV. "Why are you here?"

"Gaz! Mysterious Mysteries is about to come on!" He whined, giving her a puppy-dog look.

"Then you'd better hurry."

"I just came to visit," He dodged the question, trying to see around her.

"That's not a long story, Dib," she growled, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Ugh, fine! I was kicked out, okay?"

"Kicked out of that paranormal skool? How did you manage that?" She sat down beside him, waiting for his reply.

"...Well... I thought one of my classmates was an alien, like Zim. Problem was, it was a girl..."

"Don't tell me you stalked her," Gaz scoffed.

"It's not stalking! It's...studying! ...Without her knowledge,"

"Do I even want to know?"

"You asked! Besides, I can't stop in the middle of a story,"

"I've noticed." She grumbled.

"So, since I couldn't talk to her-"

"What, she catch on early that you're a freak?"

"No, she was in the popular crowd,"

"There's a popular crowd at a paranormal skool?"

"Yeah. Anyway, she somehow managed to lose me every time I tried to find her house. I thought, well, if she's an alien, she had to be wearing a disguise so I put a camera in...well..."

"Spit it out already!"

"In...her locker room," He turned bright red.

"Are you serious?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time! Besides, it recorded and I didn't look when she was...you know," he was quite embarrassed.

"Whatever. How did you get caught?"

"Well, after a few days of nothing, I went to get the camera after skool. I forgot there was a game-"

"Game?"

"Lacrosse. Anyway, so by the time I got it and tried to leave, the girls came in and found me. They reported me, and I tried to explain, but they thought I had went too far. So, here I am." He finished just as the show came on. This episode was a so-called professional's documentary on aliens. Curious to see if this would give her any insight into Zim, Gaz watched it.

"Hey, speaking of aliens, what's Zim been up to?" Dib asked after a while.

"Now to discuss thoughts on alien emotions and mating patterns," the professional said.

"Oh, I remember this guy! He's supposed to be the best in his field. Studying aliens, I mean." Dib grinned, idolizing the man on TV.

_The best in studying aliens?_ Gaz thought. Well, if anyone would know, it would be Dib. _So surely this guy can't be too far off the mark of what he's saying, right?_

"Why are you so interested in this anyway? You never watch this show," Dib asked curiously. Gaz punched him in the arm, hard.

"Dib, I swear, if you don't shut it, I will rip out your vocal cords and force-feed them to you sideways!" She growled, effectively silencing him, though he rubbed his arm and gave her a suspicious look.

"It has been theorized, by none other than myself, with extensive research, that if aliens are superior to us, which studies say they are, they will have no emotions, or very limited ones." The professional droned on.

_No...emotions...?_ Gaz thought, suddenly feeling sick. _No! Zim has emotions! Right?_ Yes, he had to, she'd seen him show them before. Then again, she could only remember him being angry, frustrated, or proud. Her heart dipped. Maybe he really was limited.

"Furthermore, procreation would be replaced by something more effective, such as cloning, or something similar. This will thus eliminate the need to mate. Therefore, it is safe to assume that, if they wished to study or conquer us, they would use our own emotions against us."

_What...? No...that can't be..._ Gaz shook her head, and then clenched her fists, knuckles white. _So that's it, then... Zim's only using me._ Tears, yes, **actual** tears, were threatening to break free. _How could I have ever thought, for one second, that someone might have actually cared for me?_

_Sure_, she thought, trying to calm herself, _this guy could be completely wrong, but... It makes much more sense than if he actually cared..._ Besides, what she wouldn't admit, not even to herself, was that she was afraid of caring, about anyone. She was terrified of falling in love; and she already had, with Zim.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Friday, Gaz, along with Dib, went to skool. She wasn't about to let that insensitive jerk of an alien toy with her, and she meant to tell him so. In class, she avoided sitting close to him while Dib sat right next to him.

She expertly hid her Game Slave as she played, occasionally grunting when she was called on. Even the teachers knew not to bother her when she was in the zone. Too bad she couldn't concentrate, with Zim trying to get her attention for whatever reason as well as fighting with Dib.

"Away, Dib-stink! Zim thought he had seen the last of you with his AMAZING eyes!" He yelled when he noticed the boy.

"So, how are your plans of conquering the world-"

"That is confidential!"

"I already know you're an alien!"

"Lies... You're lying! YOU LIE!" Zim flailed his arms about crazily before he noticed Gaz watching him. He then flashed her a sheepish grin and waved to her before she rolled her eyes and returned her attention to her game.

"Hey! Don't look at my sister!"

"Or what, FILTHY HUMAN?" Zim practically screeched.

"Zim! Dib! That is **enough**!" Ms. Bitters growled, effectively silencing them. Somehow, the skool board had finally realized she was too scary to teach little kids and had transferred her to the High Skool. "It seems that you've returned to make my life even more miserable, Dib. If that's even possible..." she mumbled the last part, inching closer to the students.

"I'd rather not bang my head against the wall all day, so, Zim, you switch seats with...uh...THAT kid!" She pointed menacingly at the student in front of Gaz, who quickly moved as Zim enthusiastically grabbed his things and ran over. Ms. Bitters then returned to her rant about how the world was eventually going to end and nothing anyone did would matter. Quite depressing, really.

About to beat the second-to-last level, Gaz felt someone staring at her. She tried to ignore it, but after awhile, she lost her focus and died. She looked up, ready to spit acid in someone's eyes if need be, surprised to find Zim turned around in his chair and watching her intently. She hadn't realized he'd moved.

"What are you looking at?" Gaz snapped quietly. Zim smiled and leaned forward.

"You," he replied quite simply before handing her a folded note and turning around. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she unfolded and read it.

_Gaz-human,_

_The AWESOME Zim demands your creepy yet almost as awesome presence in the data storage facility...thingy...after lunch._

Data storage facility thingy? He must mean the library. She might have actually thought about it, had he not used the word 'demands'. She tore the paper to bits before blowing the pieces on him in a mock-like kiss.

"AH! Tiny white flying creatures attacking! Zim will destroy YOU! And you! And YOU!" he screamed before running out of the room, practically tripping over himself as he swatted the bits of paper as Ms. Bitters glowered after him. Dib laughed hysterically while Gaz allowed herself a brief, sadistic smile of victory before returning to her game.


	8. Chapter 8

Unfortunately for her, Gaz had forgotten she had a paper to finish before her class after lunch, so as soon as the bell rang, she went straight to the library, skipping lunch even though she was starving. She hoped she could finish quickly and leave before Zim could find her. Entering the library, she went over to the computer area and sat down at one desk, pulling up the hood of her jacket to hide her face, just in case, before putting in her headphones and turning on her iPod. After a few minutes of speedy typing, she was brought back to Earth when a familiar gloved hand took her iPod from her.

"Female Earthanoid! Zim is pleased you have obeyed his message." The alien stood beside her, his stance proud.

"Go away, I'm busy," she muttered darkly, looking around quickly before turning her attention back to the screen. They were the only two in the library, the librarian gone for lunch. _This probably won't end well._ Gaz thought to herself and sighed. Abruptly, her stomach growled...quite loudly.

"Eh? What is that beast noise?" Zim craned his neck and looked about in curiosity before another sound drew his attention back to Gaz. He stared at her, confusion on his face.

"What? I'm hungry," Gaz shrugged, her stomach still complaining, much to her distaste.

"Did you consume your Earth-food?"

"No..." Gaz watched as he nodded and made his way over to a vending machine in the café area, purchasing her a bag of chips - she vaguely wondered where he got the money - which somehow happened to be her favourite.

"Here, girl," He practically shoved the snack in her face, his expression stern. His closeness made her heart beat. _Remember, he's just using me, that's all._ She thought, shaking her head a bit.

"I don't want it!" she lied, smacking his hand away roughly. He narrowed his eyes and shook the bag in front of her impatiently. She shoved it away before saving and printing her paper. Getting ready to walk over to the printer to collect her assignment, she all at once felt faint, and regretted not stealing Dib's poptarts this morning. In fact, since Zim had been messing with her, she really couldn't remember her eating much, if anything, at all.

Standing weakly, she was forcibly tackled to the ground, Zim sitting on top of her, once again shaking the bag. Gaz slapped them away, sending them out of his hand. They both glared at each other until they realized how close they were. While Gaz went red, Zim blushed a sort-of dark green, and, unbeknownst to Gaz, wanted nothing more than to kiss her.

Lost in her maddeningly captivating amber eyes, he was shocked when she managed to throw him off, managing only to stand a bit before her legs buckled, having used her last remaining strength to push him away. Zim caught her right before she hit the ground, having quickly retrieved the chips after her rejection.

"You're weak..." he worried, "when did you last eat?"

"I'm not sure...Wednesday?" she mumbled. If he only knew how distracted he kept her.

"You **need** to eat, Gaz," he said softly. She barely suppressed the shiver she felt when he said her name.

"I'll be fine, I just need to sit down!" she complained, trying to move, but again felt dizzy, letting Zim hold her against his chest as he tore open the chip bag with his odd teeth. He tried to offer her some, but she refused, not wanting to succumb to him.

"You stubborn girl!" He paused a minute, then a devious smile crept over his lips, mischief in his eyes. This time, Gaz couldn't help but shiver. Luckily, he didn't notice, because, before the thought of what he was going to do caused him to pause and blush, he kissed her full on the mouth. Their eyes met for a brief second, Gaz's filled with shock and confusion, Zim's with absolute glee.

Unfortunately, his desires got the best of him, and soon he forgot his plan. Where their lips met, it felt like fire, the heat burning their skin and making them blush profusely. Gaz put her arms around his neck, her resolve having disappeared with the onset of the sudden kiss, only vaguely aware of what she was doing as Zim wrapped his arm around her waist, pinning her against the wall. He let out a muffled growl before grabbing her thigh with his free hand and forcing her mouth open with his long, segmented tongue, making her smaller, human one engage in a heated dance.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Zim regretfully broke the kiss before smiling triumphantly at her still open mouth and dazed face. Suddenly remembering his plan, he took advantage of the opportunity to shove some chips into her mouth before quickly kissing her again. After swallowing the food, Gaz looked downward, avoiding his gaze.

"I...told you I didn't want any..." she objected a bit childishly.

"Oh, you insufferable female." He studied her for a second, before lifting her chin and making her face him. "As I understand it, if the feelings are mutual, they are to become mates, yes?" He smiled happily before resting his forehead against hers, his eyes half-closed in contentment as he admired her flashing amber ones. Suddenly registering what he was saying, she bristled a bit, though he didn't notice. He really was quite oblivious.

Was this just another part of his plan? To use her to further his own selfish goals, whatever they may be? She studied his profile carefully. If he was truly acting, he had to be a good actor. Hell, the best. Yet, she'd seen him try to pass for a human, so that theory was quickly out the door. Her eyes softened a bit.

"...Are the feelings mutual?" she asked quietly. Zim, however, seemed lost in his own thoughts, confusion etched on his face.

"You...have done something to me..." he whispered. "We Irkens are forbidden to feel...anything that might...endanger the empire. Because of our PAKs," he gestured to his fake backpack, "In order to keep balance and assure the next Tallest, we are pre-programmed to grow to a certain height, to look a certain way, to be an Invader or food server. This removes the so-thought inferior method of emotions and mating, as our PAKs are attached after cloning...birth, you humans would say, and determine our personalities and such. Sometimes, however, a PAK malfunctions but is missed by the control brain.

"The PAK is then attached to a smeet...er, infant...and...I think corrupts would be the best word, the smeet. These defects often have mental or physical problems. They can also have varying emotions. ...Gaz, I'm a defect." He looked for her reaction and she saw the forbidden emotion in him. "This is new to me, but... I believe we both...like...each other?"

"Zim...I..."

"Gaz, will you be Zim's mate?"

"I..." Zim's eyes widened in surprise as she hugged him tightly, and he hugged her back, loving the feel of her in his arms. Love...yes, that was definitely forbidden.

"Should I take that as a yes?" he taunted, and broke the hug as he offered his hand.

"You jerk," He grinned at her before taking her hand in his. Well, she hadn't said no. Then again, she hadn't said yes, either...

"Should I get your papers?"

"What? Oh...sure..." she watched a bit dazedly as he retrieved her work, handing it to her proudly.

"I will take my claim of you now." Zim exclaimed, grinning.

"W-what?" _Surely he doesn't mean..._ Gaz thought, panicking.

"It is Zim's understanding that when they become mates, the male takes ownership of the female." He looked about as confused as she felt.

"Oh. Well...not **literally**."

"Who is this 'literally' and why does he refuse to acknowledge the MIGHTY ZIM'S ownership of his love-pig?" He demanded angrily, hands on his hips much like an angry child.

"No, no, I mean the guy doesn't **really** own the girl. They just date, you know?"

"Zim knows they mate! He is not ignorant!" He flailed his arms, protesting, and Gaz blushed scarlet.

"No, they...well, not right away, anyway," she desperately tried to explain, inching away from him. "They go out together, like to movies and stuff. They hang out and get to know each other first, to see if they're...right for each other. If they aren't, they break up-"

"They BREAK each other?" Zim interrupted, eyes wide.

"No! Well, there is this phrase about breaking someone's heart if they love you and you don't love them-"

"Love? An emotion, yes?" He tilted his head to one side. "Humans are allowed to feel?"

"Yeah..."

"Excellent! Continue with the explanation, dear Gaz." Zim had thought he knew about human courtship, but it seemed he had overlooked a few details. She explained as best she could, but having no prior experience herself, felt the explanation more than a little lacking, and she was sure to steer clear of certain conversation topics, but they both blushed a couple of times nonetheless.

"Is that all?" Zim tapped his foot, watching her.

"I think so, yeah. What?" She broke off as she noticed he had gotten closer.

"Zim wants to take his little Gaz out for their first date of AMAZINGNESS." He beamed excitedly.

"I...can't. Not today, Zim." She avoided eye contact, and the warning bell sounded. "I have to get to class before I'm late." She gathered her things and left, leaving Zim behind with a saddened, baffled expression on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

"Transmission incoming. Accept?" the computer asked, and Zim's brow furrowed in confusion. He wasn't expecting a call.

"Accept!" he commanded, anxious to see who was calling him, and why. When the Tallest appeared onscreen, he immediately snapped to attention. "My Tallest!" he exclaimed, a goofy grin on his face.

"Zim," Red nodded a bit stiffly, Purple beside him latched onto his arm, looking rather sullenly down at the ground. Something was clearly bothering them, but, as always, Zim failed to notice and merely waited for them to continue. That is, until he got impatient.

"Yes? What can Zim do for his Tallest?" he asked, voice eager, and Purple looked up at him, his face blank as he locked his two fingers with Red's.

"We have a…special mission for you, Zim," Red continued, sighing. "Uh, in order to gain the trust of the humans, you are to bring the scary human girl and her large-headed brother to Irk,"

"Irk?" Zim had confusion in his eyes, and an irritated growl emanated from Red, Purple still silent.

"That's what I said. Someone will be there shortly to act as your guide. Expect them."

The transmission was cut abruptly just as Purple glanced nervously behind him. Oblivious of this, Zim exited his lab, returning to his fake home above, his restless thoughts causing him to pace back and forth as he waited for the guide to show. Gir watched him with a vacant smile on his face before turning his attention back to his TV show, something about an evil monkey. Minutes passed, but they seemed like hours…especially when Gir started acting like a monkey, climbing all over him and screaming, "I'M A MONKEY! CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!"

Somehow, he was able to ignore the over-excited robot, and, among his concerns, what topped the list was worry for Gaz's safety, which surprised him greatly, as he had never really experienced concern before, let alone for someone else. He slipped on his human disguise as the doorbell rang, a knock soon following and he made his way over, Gir on the couch once more. Still a little preoccupied with his thoughts, he opened the door before looking to see who it was.

A dark, small figure immediately shot past him, and he turned in surprise to watch it as it ran about the room at an incredible speed, a dark blur moving about aimlessly before settling next to Gir on the couch. As soon as he registered what the creature was, his eyes grew wide, his body rigid. There on the couch, tail swishing back and forth, was a black cat. Which could only mean… Zim snapped his attention back to the doorway, a look of horror etching itself across his face.

There, standing a bit impatiently with her arms crossed over her chest, stood a slightly taller, seemingly human girl with spiky dark blue hair. Her eyes flashed over him before a sarcastic smile crept onto her lips for a split second before she resumed her poker face.

"You!" Zim screeched, flailing his arms about in outrage and surprise.

"Well, that's about the greeting I was expecting," the girl replied nonchalantly, a slight British accent that went with her disguise making itself known.

"Tak! Why are you-"

"I'm your guide, fool. Tell your SIR Unit to put on its disguise and hurry up," she turned quickly on the heel of her combat boot, her skirt cape billowing a bit behind her as she strode off, the black cat, Tak's SIR Unit, MiMi, following. Zim facepalmed while Gir put on his dog suit, and they followed her out the door.

"Lead the way," she gestured, and he grinned, proudly stepping forward…only to slip and fall into a puddle. Screeching inhumanly, steam rose from his skin as he frantically ran in the direction of Gaz's house, Tak following behind, smirking, while Gir skipped along, MiMi trailing beside him.

Arriving at her door, Zim pounded on it repeatedly until Gaz answered, an annoyed look on her face, ready to unleash a sarcastic remark, but, noticing him, a puzzled expression replaced it. By this time, the water's effects had stopped, and he stood panting heavily before her.

"Zim? What are you **doing** here?" she asked, a small frown making itself known. She had yet to tell Dib of their new relationship, being unsure of how to tell him, as well as nervous about how he'd handle it. Not to mention she hadn't _technically_ said yes or no...

"Gaz!" he practically launched himself at her, taking her hand and hissing as Tak stepped into view.

"Hello, Gaz." the female Irken said, "How have you been?"

"Tak…what are you doing here?" The girl narrowed her amber eyes in suspicion, removing her hand from Zim's grasp as she crossed her arms.

"Gaz, what's going…on?" Dib stood at the bottom of the stairs, having come down after hearing the knocking. His eyes were fixed on Tak, his stare so intense it made everyone fall silent.

"Dib…? I thought…I was told you were away…" As he stepped forward and reached for her, she allowed him to gently take her gloved hand. Zim furrowed his brow. The Tallest didn't inform her of the Dib-monkey's return? He unconsciously wrapped an arm around Gaz's waist as he thought, giving Dib an excuse to avert his blushing face from Tak's.

"What the hell? Get away from my sister!" he made to lunge at him, but Tak held him back, making him look at her again, hand on his chin. She stared into his eyes for a moment, and he gulped, unsure of how to react. Remembering they weren't alone, she released him.

"Come on, we better get moving," she stated curtly, drawing questioning glances from the siblings. Noticing this, she sighed. "You didn't tell them?" she glared at Zim, who smiled sheepishly in response. MiMi rolled her eyes as she stood by her mistress's feet, but was suddenly approached by Gir, who was covered in dirt, offering her some flowers, the roots still attached. After a bewildered inspection, she accepted them, smiling a bit, and kissed him on the cheek, to which his eyes grew wide…before he squealed happily.

Concocting a half-lie, somehow Tak managed to get the two to agree to come with them to their home planet. How she did so, and so easily, Zim would never know, but soon after packing a few provisions, they were in Tak's ship, on their way to Irk.

Zim watched as the planet he had spent the last few years living on grew smaller and smaller the further away they got. Strangely, he felt an odd pang in his gut as it finally disappeared. Turning away from the scene, he readied himself for whatever was to come. For some reason, anxiety suddenly gripped him in its icy talons.


	10. Chapter 10

With a groan, Zim blinked, a grimace set on his bruised face. Something touched one of his antennae, causing it to itch and as he went to reach for it to knock away the annoying irritant, with an audible noise, he realized he was chained, shackled to the wall. He shook his head, trying to recall what had happened beforehand, but everything was fuzzy. The spider web above tickled him.

"Zim's head hurts…" he muttered darkly, bright eyes searching his surroundings for any information. "And he is in a jail…HA!" A grin spread across his face as he attempted – and failed – a fist pump of victory. "It has been realized that ZIM is too mighty for his captors, whoever they may be!"

A cough sounded from beside him, and he turned as much as he could, straining to see in the darkness. He could barely make out a rather large…_something_, about the size of a hippo…if not bigger.

"Dib-monkey?" He called out, and was answered by another cough.

"Zim? What the hell did you do this time?" He groaned, eyes weary, his sleep obviously restless. Or perhaps it was from being knocked out.

"Zim has done nothing! It's probably something you and your BIG HEAD did," he growled, flicking his antennae in annoyance.

"My head's not big! This is YOUR fault, not mine!"

"Zim has no faults! Zim is AMAZING!" Whether he was actually oblivious to their current situation or not became unclear as he continued to rant, causing Dib to eventually scream at him to shut up.

"Look, alien," he growled, a sigh escaping him, "I can't remember much of what happened, can you?" Zim cast him a smug glance as if to say, _Of course a HUMAN would forget. _Their eyes now adjusted to the darkness, Dib did not miss this.

"Well, what do **you** remember, then?" he jerked his chin toward the shackles which both were bound in.

"I remember…" his brow furrowed in thought almost immediately. "Zim…uh…remembers you crying like a human worm baby!"

"I did not!"

"Yes, Zim REMEMBERS!"

"You know what? You're useless," Dib snapped, tugging at his restraints. "I remember we're on your planet, genius, so it can't be something I did,"

"Of course it's something the Dib-monster did, he must have bothered more Irkens who are obviously superior to him," Zim rolled his eyes. Really, he was half-amusing himself by badgering the boy as he tried to recall events.

"You good-for-nothing alien-"

"Silence! Zim remembers us coming to Irk, the horrible Tak-"

"She's not horrible, you just don't like her because she doesn't put up with you," Dib fumed.

"ANYWAY, Tak brought us here because the Tallest had some sort of mission for Zim,"

"You know what? How did she even manage to get me to agree to come along?"

"You were probably jumping like an excited insect to come along and follow her," Zim snickered.

"I…no…" Dib's blush seemed to radiate in the blackness of their cell.

"Gaz…where is Gaz? She was with us!" His eyes lit up like fire and he immediately set to trying to free himself. "Gaz! GAZ! Where is she?"

"Zim, shut up! What if…whoever did this hears you?"

"GAZ!"

"ZIM!" Dib hissed loudly, wishing he could kick the idiot.

"Zim needs to get out of here, to find Gaz," Zim sulked.

"Yeah, no dip Sherlock,"

"I am not dip Sherlock!" Dib had to laugh a little at that.

"Look, how about we just try to piece everything together from when we got here?"


	11. Chapter 11

"Filthy human! That isn't what happened!" Zim hissed.

"Shut up. As the only humans who know about you alien freaks, you turned us in and then your leaders realized how annoying you were." Dib repeated confidently, a smug look on his face.

"Lies! This is simply a grand plan concocted by Zim!"

"…Then why don't you remember what happened?"

"…I'm going to feed your eyeballs to a squirrel,"

"Squirrels don't eat eyeballs!"

"Zim shall stick a nut in the middle, then laugh as their tiny paws scratch your corneas. TINY PAWS!"

"…You're an idiot, this is going nowhere,"

The alien was about to retaliate when a sliver of light entered the pitch-black room before the door to their cell was thrown open.

"AH! Zim is BLIND!"

"Silence!" A familiar voice snarled, a shadow emerging from the light. As their eyes adjusted gradually, they watched as Tak, in her Irken form, stood before them, no trace of emotion on her features.

"Tak!" Dib struggled in his unforgiving bindings. "You're okay! What happ-"

"I said SILENCE, insolent worm!" She growled, eyes narrowed. Both Dib and Zim blinked, shocked, before turning to look at each other in bewilderment.

"Zim told you she was evil," The other Irken smirked in what he thought of as victory, clearly forgetting the position he was in.

"No, this…Tak, what's going on? Where's Gaz?" Dib's eyes searched hers desperately, looking for an answer, any answer…

"Gaz? Gaz? GAZ? WHERE IS GAZ?" Zim screeched suddenly, kicking uselessly in his rage. "Where is Zim's love pig?"

"Love pig?" Tak and Dib raised a brow and asked in unison, to which they glanced at each other, Tak with some amusement in her irises, Dib with betrayal. Her gaze quickly dropped from his, a low growl escaping her.

"She's not dead, if that's what you're asking. But enough chit-chat… I'm sure the Almighty wishes to get straight down to business," Tak swiftly moved aside, the only indicator of her presence now her eyes glowing eerily from the corner. A larger shadow fell over them, a deep chuckle resounding in the small chamber as their host made their presence known.

"Well, **hello**, Zim! It's been awhile!"


	12. Chapter 12

Zim blinked…before screaming…and screaming…and screaming. Dib clenched his teeth in pain at the sound, while Tak, still in the shadows, shook her head, eyes closed. The other Irken before them merely examined his claws and waited until Zim was panting to speak.

"That's about the welcome I expected," he nodded, "though with your tiny brain it's surprising that you remember-"

"Who are you?" The younger Irken raised a brow, and everyone in the room did a double take in disbelief.

"…Why the hell did you scream if you don't know him?" Dib growled, his ears still ringing rather unpleasantly.

"Because he's an idiot?" Tak offered quietly. Everyone but Zim shared a knowing glance and nodded, and a sigh escaped the unknown Irken.

"Do you remember a certain day I was giving a speech, Zim?" He prodded him, his dark antennae flicking back in sudden agitation at not being immediately recognized. "You know, the day you released a certain blob creature…"

"No."

"…Are you sure?" He actually looked disappointed, and an indignant huff escaped him.

"Mm…" Zim hummed, his face scrunching up in sudden thought. "Hm...hm...HM..."

"It's Spork! Almighty Tallest Spork!" he roared to silence the fool, his small eyes narrowing menacingly.

"Oh…OH. …So, how are you?" Zim managed to sound nonchalant, though it was unknown if he genuinely felt this way or if it was only a ruse.

"Better, now that I'm not in an intestinal tract," Spork grumbled, his odd teeth baring in a mad hiss. "To save time, I'm just going to tell you what happened. To bring the human thing up to speed: On the day I was giving my speech as the new Tallest, Zim here, who was working as a scientist at Vort Research Station 9, unleashed some kind of energy absorbing blob that decided to make me lunch. Everyone thought I had died, as the same thing happened to Tallest Miyuki shortly before me. I managed to escape." He turned, floating back and forth, his shadow looming over what little light the slightly ajar cell door let in. Oddly enough, despite his goofy appearance, he shed a malignant presence.

"What took you so long to get back?" Dib raised a brow, adjusting his position to try to get more comfortable and failing miserably as the cuffs continued to dig into the skin of his wrists.

Spork stopped his pacing to explain. "The blob had been contained and was placed on a random planet…it took me years to get back to Irk."

"…How did you get out?"

"…I'd...rather nottalk about that." He grimaced, biting his lip, and Dib got an idea from what he had said earlier, and a shudder passed through him, sending an ache through his sore body.

"ANYWAY," he did a flourish, "Turns out I'm taller than Red and Purple…so I'm in charge now that I'm back!" Zim paused, scrutinizing his former Tallest, mentally measuring him. It was true, but only by about an inch or two. "Short version over. And now we move on to my favoritepart!" Spork let out a very unbecoming squeal, which surprised everyone in the room. He seemed to notice his blunder after he made it, and raised a fist to his mouth, clearing his throat in an attempt to clear the awkwardness he had unknowingly created. He failed miserably.

"Which would be…?" Dib pressed, hoping any information provided would somehow help them in their plight. He remembered what had happened now, when they had arrived on Irk. So did Zim, and he began to go over the memory.

"Revenge, little worm baby," Spork cooed, tapping his forehead and removing the human's glasses to fling them away. One of his strange eyes twitched. "Why is your head so big?"

"AHA! Zim was right!" The younger Irken shouted out, broken from his reverie only to be rewarded with a punch to the gut from Tak. She looked to Spork – her face completely emotionless – who nodded. The female took out a stun rod, effectively using it to knock Zim unconscious. As she neared Dib, his heart lurched, and he imagined, just for a moment, that he saw pain and hesitation flash across her beautiful foreign irises.


	13. Chapter 13

Gaz pulled her knees to her chest, her amber eyes half-lidded. Mentally, she was playing her GS2, using her rather vivid imagination to conjure up new levels and weapons to stave off the boredom that gnawed at the edges of her mind. The cell she was in was small, cramped, dark, and – except for the dark part – she hated it. She supposed she should have been grateful they hadn't shackled her, but she herself was not known for her gratefulness.

Vaguely, she wondered how long the new cross-eyed alien leader was going to keep her here. She refused to think about Zim, not quite ready to nose-dive into the multiple negative possibilities. At least she knew he wasn't alone; Dib had been dragged off with him. She wasn't too worried about Dib – after all, he had survived this long without her. Zim, on the other hand…no. Gaz shook her head, clearing her thoughts.

She nudged a rock with her boot before kicking it across the cell. There was a clang and two red lights gradually glowed from the darkness. Gaz jerked her head up – and GIR jumped in front of her, fists clenched as he turned back and forth, looking for enemies. Finding none, his eyes faded back to their usual blue and he grinned.

"Gazzy!" He hugged her, giggling.

"G-GIR? What-" She paused, remembering a guard tossing something in, though she had been only half-conscious at the time so she hadn't known what it was. GIR curled up to her, small rips present in his ridiculous dog suit, and Gaz stiffened at first before relaxing with a sigh.

"Stupid robot…" she grumbled, though in truth, she was thankful for his company.

"Gazzy is warm!" He chirped, and a small smile touched her lips. She would never admit it, but when he wasn't being completely annoying…he was actually kind of cute.

"Right…" she leaned back, silence descending in the gloom for several moments.

"Can I call you Mama Gazzy?" GIR suddenly screeched, and Gaz winced at his shrill voice.

"What? N-Why?" she frowned, confused.

"Because Master loves Gazzy!" He stuck his tongue out the side of his mouth, looking aloof as ever.

"…GIR…"

"Really! More than he likes waffles!" He seemed pleasantly shocked at this…Gaz wondered if he meant his soap waffles.

"…I know, GIR."

"And Gazzy loves Master?" He jumped up and down, impatient, on her lap. She didn't respond at first, and the SIR Unit knocked on her head. "Yoo-hoo!"

"Oh…" Gaz thought for a moment, but she responded before he could hit her again. "…Yes…I love Zim…" That didn't stop the defective robot from laughing hysterically and punching his own head, however.

"Gazzy and Master sitting in a tree, K-I-S-G-K-N-L!" He sang incorrectly, and Gaz snorted, shaking her head.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G." She corrected.

"L-M-N-O-P?"

"K…I…S…S…I…N…G…"

"…I like dinosaurs." The robot then impersonated a t-rex, flailing his arms with a small roar that sounded more like a whine. Gaz watched his random antics, amused, until the door to the cell opened, an Irken solder stepping in.

"Let's go, human. Don't want to be late for the execution!"


	14. Chapter 14

Gaz shielded her eyes with a hand as she stepped out into the dim sunlight, her head aching as she gradually adjusted to the change in lighting. As soon as she was able, she looked around, searching for any sign of Zim or Dib, but the guard behind her was quick to shove her along when she stalled. She shot him a dark glare, the Irken seeming to tremble slightly at that, and allowed herself to be herded toward the front of what looked like a courtyard, minus the grass. Actually, there was no foliage at all, it being replaced by metal and various machinery seeming to stretch its way out into the rest of the planet much like a cancer. The place was being remodeled by various workers into what seemed to be a sort of convention hall, the Irken symbol emblazoned darkly on several banners, its sudden malevolence giving her a small chill despite herself.

"Where are you idiots taking me?" she growled under her breath, violet hair hanging in her amber eyes. She wasn't expecting a response and was surprised when she got one.

"To show you the area set for tomorrow's grand show…" An average looking Irken, suddenly beside her, mused in a rather monotone voice, its face masked by a long black cloak, making the gender difficult to identify. Gaz suppressed the urge to jump in shock at its sudden appearance.

"Where the hell did you come from?" she hissed, arching her back slightly in pain as a guard jabbed her with his weapon at her snappy tone. The masked Irken didn't respond, merely seemed to assess her as its glowing azure eyes shone from the darkness of the cowl. With a flick of its wrist, it dismissed the guards and the two were left alone.

"I am Almighty Tallest Spork's personal assistant, Zip. The Tallest has ordered me to show you the field for tomorrow's spectacle beforehand, as it will likely be…difficult to admire the work that's been put into it after the event." Zip mumbled, gesturing for the human to walk forward. Gaz narrowed her eyes suspiciously but did so, walking beside the strange alien as it pointed out various decorations.

"What event…?" Vaguely, the guard's last statement when he had come to fetch her flitted through her mind, but she quickly dismissed it, refusing to even think of it as being true. Zip ignored her question.

"We have obtained the finest Irken décor from various planets under our rule in anticipation of the Tallest's request. Later this evening, all will be transported to the planet Conventia. There, the Purge will take place."

"Purge?" Gaz raised a brow, amber eyes flaming slightly in irritation.

"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, dear Gaz." Zip sighed as if bored beyond compare.

"How do you-"

The Irken waved her off, spending the next half-hour giving horribly boring details about the banners and other crap Gaz really couldn't care less about. Just as she thought she was about to faint from boredom, however, a couple of guards returned to surround her, their faces foreign and cold. As far as she could tell, the creatures were completely devoid of emotion… Zip took one aside to glare at him and hissed, "You were told not to speak to the prisoner, yes?" Gaz imagined he was referring to when the guard had come to collect her.

The guard's façade broke easily and he gulped, glancing toward Gaz. "I…thought if she was scared…"

"Silence." The assistant snapped, "She is to know nothing until tomorrow, do you understand?"

"Y-yes…" He nodded, and Gaz snickered to herself. Guess you're not as tough as you act…

"Good. Take her back then." The cloaked alien looked back to the girl, who had been straining her ears to hear them. "The tour is over, I'm afraid, human. You will be shown back to your quarters now."

"Wait a minute, where's Zim? Where's my idiotic big-headed brother?" Gaz struggled futilely against the hold of the guards as they pushed her bruised form back inside. "Tell me, damnit! I'll destroy every one of you if you touch Zim!" She supposed she should have included Dib in that as well…but at the moment all her worry was with the goofy alien she'd – somehow – grown to love.

"Save your strength for tomorrow, girl. You'll need it." Gaz clenched her teeth in anger as well as despair, though she would never admit to the latter. She hung her head, a tear silently sliding down her dirty face.

Back in her cell, she hugged her knees to her chest again, breathing slightly labored, and she bit her lip hard until she drew blood. _Damnit, Gaz…what are you doing here? More importantly, how are you going to get out of this mess?_ She angrily wiped the tears from her face, a flash of metal catching her eye. GIR was fast asleep in the corner, mumbling something about mayonnaise and kicking every so often. Gaz blinked as she thought, raising a brow…and she smirked.

* * *

><p>Spork growled lowly in his throat, his wide-set eyes narrowed in hostility as he floated over to the former Tallests, Purple having stopped mid-chew at his entrance, snack on the floor.<p>

"You two. You honestly thought I wouldn't notice?" He snarled, and Red narrowed his own crimson eyes, moving forward slightly.

"Notice what, Spork?" He said flatly, obviously disregarding his new title.

"Damn you, Red, it's **Almighty Tallest** Spork to you now! I'm gone for how long? And this is what I come back to!" He threw his claws up in exasperation, pausing for effect.

"More snack choices…?" Purple offered, thinking he was waiting for an answer. Spork glared him back into silence before continuing.

"The mighty Irken armada, barely a name on the tongues of our potential slaves? Leaders who rely on each other…" Red's eyes flashed at this. "Yes, I know, and I think it's pathetic. And of all the invaders to send in Irk's name…you send him. **Zim**. He's not even a real invader!" His voice was full of loathing.

"That was part of the joke…" Purple murmured, looking at the ground with saddened eyes. "It was funny at the time…"

"Earth might as well have never been noticed by us…and for him to fall for a worm, as well as attach one to Tak is a disgrace!" He went on ranting, his shrill voice causing Purple to shudder and float closer to his partner, holding his hand in an attempt to comfort himself. Spork's eyes widened at the sight and he shoved them apart, teeth bared. "Don't even think about it…Purple, pick up your precious donuts and put them in the chute."

"W-What? N-No…not the donuts…Spork-" He whimpered.

"**Almighty Tallest** Spork!" The taller Irken roared, one eye twitching noticeably. "Do as I say!" He watched with apparent sadistic glee as Purple slowly, slowly, picked up his food and made his way over to a chute set into the wall. He hit a button, the glass door sliding open, and placed the bag inside before shutting it. Immediately, it was sucked up and away. Spork giggled and switched on the monitor, making Purple watch as his package was sent straight into the nearest sun. The smaller Irken's antennae drooped dangerously low and he sniffled. "Sad now?" Spork grinned.

Red snarled, suddenly in front of him. "Leave him alone, those were the last on the entire planet thanks to you…"

"Yes, but not the entire universe!" The new Tallest backed up, smirking as guards entered and surrounded the confused Red, who was soon beaten to the ground. The guards might have hesitated and had sorrow in their eyes, but they were quick to hide it if this was true. Purple choked on a sob, floating over to him and pulling him close. Red groaned in pain, eyes shut tight. "You'll see, this is what happens when you go against the will of Irk! Tomorrow, **all** will be purged…everything that is tainted will be erased from existence." He glanced over his shoulder, sighing dramatically. "Purple, don't be sad…Red will be fine just in time for the show. I wouldn't want you two to miss it, considering the fate of a certain defect..."

"I'm fine, Pur…just don't make him angrier than he already is…" Red mumbled to his mate, who stiffly nodded, jumping in shock when Spork squealed loudly.

"You guys have snow cones! Oh, no way, why didn't you tell me? This is great, and there are so many flavors!" The Tallest practically wiggled in excitement, his previous serious demeanor now gone. He quickly made three of the frozen treats, leaning down to offer the former leaders theirs. "Look, Pur, who does this one remind you of? 'I'm Red and I'm so serious I have no friends!'"

"Um…I…don't know…?" The violet-eyed Irken murmured quietly, but accepted the 'gift'.

"Red, duh! And here's another! 'Look, I eat food all day long and cry in a corner because I'm so weak!' Guess who that is!" There was no response, and Spork shrugged and dropped the purple snow cone on Red's chest, greedily licking his own blue one. He paused, though, and tried to tug the ice away…it was stuck to his tongue.

"My Tallest, how many times does this make?" A hooded Irken sighed as it entered, and Spork turned to it with flailing arms.

"Thip! Get it **off**!" He whined, shaking his head back and forth in an attempt to dislodge it. Zip merely watched a moment longer before reaching forward…the paper coming off, leaving a large blue ice ball stuck to Spork's tongue. The Tallest then ran around the room, screaming – as much as he could – "Bwainfweeze, bwainfweeze!"


	15. Chapter 15

"Wake up, you imbecile!" A low hiss worked its way into his mind, and Zim's fuchsia eyes lazily blinked open, vision blurry, before he shut them again. "Hey!" He felt the sting of the slap only after it had passed and he jerked awake, looking around with wide eyes.

"Huh – who – what – where – huh?" Each word was punctuated by a quick turn of his head in the opposite direction. He thought he heard an exasperated sigh, and was shocked when Tak's face was suddenly in front of his, her hand grabbing his chin and forcing him to look at her.

"Be quiet and listen-"

"Listen! HA! Why should I listen to you, Tak!?" He practically spat her name, teeth clenching in anger.

"Because if you don't you'll never see Gaz again!" She snapped, losing her patience with him rather quickly. Zim sighed, reluctantly nodding and swallowing his pride, which was quite a feat for him. Tak pondered his odd reaction… That statement shut him up where nothing else ever would. Had he matured from the last time she'd seen him? She supposed it was possible…but highly unlikely. Could it be…because he really did care for the human girl? Then again…perhaps she had an idea of what he was going through.

"Well, what do you want?" The acid was still in his voice, though it was maintained – barely. She didn't blame him, considering their past encounters and the current situation, but she had no time to convince him she was actually – dare she think it – on his side. Repressing a shudder from the thought, she moved back.

"The Tallests," She stressed the last part, "have given me the task to get all three of you out before the Purge-"

"Purge? You said Purge?" His eyes widened, a shocked expression covering his dirty face. "You don't seriously mean…?"

"I'm afraid so." Her mouth was a thin line. "The date is set for tomorrow, Spork is planning on taking you to Conventia for a live execution, a show of his new leadership. Not much of anything, I think, considering how you can't even take over Earth…" she muttered the last part thoughtfully, and Zim hissed at her like an angry cat. "Anyway, my ship is docked, fueled, and ready. All we have to do is stage a distraction and get everyone on it."

Zim nodded, pursing his lips in thought, humming several times. "Hmm…hmm…HMM…"

Tak blinked once, face neutral. "You don't seriously think you can come up with a successful distraction, do you? I already have an idea-"

"Psh! Zim's plans are FAR superior, and I will not allow any room for failure when it comes to Gaz!" He clenched his fists, stubborn, and shook his bindings. "Well? Get me out of these, already!"

The female Irken facepalmed, "Not yet, Zim! Try to have a little patience, we'll get everything in motion during the guard rotation, they're less likely to notice. Oh, and before I leave, I have to make this visit look convincing."

Zim raised a brow, impatience set in his eyes. "Convincing? What do you mean?"

"To put it simply so you can understand, if I leave here without injuring you, Spork will be suspicious, so..." She raised her fist, flashing him a half-smirk. "Brace yourself."

The male Irken's expression twitched as he caught her meaning, and sudden horror filled his eyes. "No, Tak, wait! Not the face, not the face!"

* * *

><p>"Hey! HEY!" Gaz pounded on the door to her prison until her hands were aching and her throat hurt from screaming, placing a few kicks to the metal of the barrier for good measure. Eventually, after what seemed like hours – and judging by the pain in her hands might have been close to the mark – the guard finally responded.<p>

"What, hooman?" This one was different from the one from before, she could tell by his voice…and his horrible pronunciation of the word 'human.'

"T-There's something in here with me," Gaz frantically replied, "please, you've got to do something."

"Nothing in there…you're fine, so shut up-" A strange crunch cut him off mid-sentence, and he shuffled uncertainly. "What…was that?"

"Don't leave me in here! What will your leader do if I die by some creature?" The Irken guard thought a moment before shivering at the obvious answer. He told her to stand back with a grumble, unlocking the door and hesitantly opening it.

Just as he stepped inside, Gaz took aim and shot a pebble at Gir, who had been eating some broken bricks. Immediately, he froze, his blue details and eyes sinking to a dark red, his head twisting fully around, body following a few seconds later. The guard stopped at the sight before fumbling for his weapon – but it was too late. The small robot had quickly identified him as the threat due to his weapon and set upon him with a maniacal giggle.

Surprised at the sudden ferocity and of the happy little creature, Gaz could only think of the utter wrongness of it – but the bloody scene was cut short as Gir seemed to glitch out, his eyes returning to their usual color. Seeming confused at first, he looked down and let out a squeak.

"Gazzy, Gazzy! I got a arm!" He chirped happily, waving the severed limb back and forth. Gaz's eye twitched, only a bit disturbed…she'd never seen an alien get mauled before.

"Yeah, that's great, let's go-"

"CAN I KEEP HIM?" She paused with a blink from moving to the exit. He was hugging the arm and cooing at it. Sure, she probably should have been more horrified at the scene and what had occurred but…she had imagined, dreamed, read about, and watched more horrifying things than she could count…not to mention the number of people she'd sent to the ER of the hospital.

"Uh…sure, whatever." Gaz responded, not willing to deal with his outburst if she said otherwise…he'd lose it later anyway. Besides, she had to find Zim and kick a certain Tallest's ass…

"YAY! HIS NAME IS TACO!" The SIR unit chirped, and Gaz gave him a strong stare. _What. The. Hell._ Rolling her eyes, she told him to follow her, and be quiet – to which he pretended to zip his lips – and they made their break.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey guys, hope you're all doing well. I just want to thank each and every one of you for your continued support, favorites, follows, and reviews, it really means a lot and, believe it or not, they are just about the only thing that has kept this fanfiction from being discontinued. I realize I get so many ideas it's hard to see a project to the end, heh…not to mention busy life outside of the fandom. Hope this chapter is a bit longer and you all enjoy it. I apologize for the sudden gore (even though it was mild), but I did warn you beforehand, lol. If possible, I'm hoping next chapter to respond to any reviews posted for this one, so leave your thoughts or questions!


End file.
